Labor Day is traditionally the “end of summer” but as the fall approaches and many of you are dreaming in pumpkin spice, we here at Grumpire HQ aren’t ready to let go of the endless […]
NEW IN ACTION: JULY/AUGUST 2022
Join The Grumps as we bring you a selection of what’s new and now in the Action genre. Strap in for Round-house Round-Up! From Elbee: THE PRINCESS (2022) [NEW ON HULU] Form = Function in […]
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: XTREME!
Nothing makes parents happier than teaching their children to love Horror. Just visit any Horror convention and you’ll see toddlers dressed as Freddy Krueger holding hands with their father and his Art The Clown forearm […]
MIXTAPE: SHOEGAZE FOR SUMMER
Shoegaze might have a reputation for being gloomy, dejected, and wintry, but with this post, I’m here to argue that there’s no better style of music for a day at the beach than shoegaze. Just […]
‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’: AN EXPLICATION OF A ’90S SCI-FI BLOCKBUSTER; OR, JAY LOSES A BET
Author’s note: Thanks to a foolish wager on an NBA playoff series, this article you’re now reading exists. I have no business making friendly wagers on professional sports, as I always bet with my heart […]
NEW IN ACTION: MAY/JUNE 2022
Join The Grumps as we bring you a selection of what’s new and now in the Action genre. Strap in for Round-house Round-Up! From Andrew: THE TAKEDOWN (2022) [NEW ON NETFLIX] Director Louis Leterrier came […]
DEATH IS A RUNNING TAP: ‘STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER’
Why is it that when fans of Italian giallo talk excitedly about the genre, people are quick to find an exit? Is it because they don’t want to be subjected to a one-sided conversation about […]
TAFFETA DOESN’T LIKE THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Grumpire 18, The Big Lebowski 0 Welcome to our 4/20 special! Never mind what the actual date is, it’s always 4/20 somewhere, and how better to celebrate than talking over a couple of egregiously smoke-friendly […]
‘THE MATADOR’: WHEN MASCULINITY AND VULNERABILITY COME TOGETHER
Jarred by a nightmare, a middle-aged man wakes up in a panic. He’s in a hotel, an empty bottle next to him and a passed-out woman sharing his bed. Obviously distressed, he puts his hand […]
MIXTAPE: FRIDAY THE 13TH 2022
Friday The 13th, of all the pseudo-holidays, continues to hold a strong grip on our cultural imagination. It doesn’t hurt that the beloved horror franchise by the same name has such an iconic killer to […]
AUDIO FANFICTION: ‘BENEDETTA’
I’m not sure if I think Benedetta is a great movie. But as a late-period Paul Verhoeven movie, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Even though visually it remains barely interesting and the […]
NEW IN ACTION: MARCH/APRIL 2022
Join The Grumps as we bring you a selection of what’s new and now in the Action genre. Strap in for Round-house Round-Up! from elbee: THE ADAM PROJECT (2022) [NEW IN THEATERS AND ON NETFLIX] […]
VISUAL TENSION, IRONY, DISCOMFORT, AND METAFICTION IN ‘THE VISIT’
Something I think about sometimes is how I basically never had a grandpa. My grandpa on my dad’s side, Grandpa Ted, died when I was two and I don’t remember him one bit. On my […]
“YOU’RE ALREADY DEAD”: LIFE, DEATH, AND LETTING GO, IN ‘JACOB’S LADDER’
“See. According to this, you’re already dead.” Everyone remembers the party scene in Adrian Lyne’s Jacob’s Ladder. You know the one. It’s impossible to forget: a woman dancing seductively at a party is attacked from […]
ON AROUSAL AND USELESSNESS IN ‘THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST’
ENOUGH SENSE TO GET OUT OF THE RAIN & INTO THE BLUE-STRIPED TEMPLE “Don’t you feel like you can take on the world?You ain’t worried ’bout nobody sneak dissin”‘ – Rae Sremmurd “We’ll make Heaven […]